Judas' Kiss
by Die Flow
Summary: Jon and Rose return to their universe, only to discover what the Esteemed Father has really been up to.
1. JKPrologue

JKPrologue

After leaving the Doctor, Jack, and the companions behind, Jon and Rose returned to the alternate universe which had become their home. Setting Lourdes (who again disguised herself as a spruce) gently down in the backyard of the Tyler mansion, they were greeted by Tony, Arianna, and Alia flinging themselves into their arms. After making a huge fuss over the kids, they walked up to the landing where Jackie was waiting for them, eyes sparkling as she fiercely hugged her two favorite time travelers.

"Little Peter is napping," she said as she hugged her daughter, "and his grandfather is at work, naturally. C'mon in and have a cuppa. I'll let Pete know you're back."

Jon elected to stay out in the yard having fun with the kids while Jackie and Rose had tea. Jackie could see a difference in Rose. What it was, she couldn't quite put her finger on, but it was good, that she was sure of. Rose seemed _taller_somehow, although she could see she wasn't really, and she had an air about her… and she wore it well.

"So," Jackie began, "you and the Doctor – what happened?"

Rose smiled at her mum, wanting dish, as always. Well, she couldn't blame her.

"Nothing, really, Mum. We could see we'd grown apart, he has his life, Jon and I have ours. Neither of us would trade our lives for anything. So we parted the best of friends, you know, and all that stuff." She waved her hand as if dismissing the whole situation. Jackie was not convinced.

"Oh, c'mon Rose. I'm your mother. You think I was born yesterday? I saw the tension between the two of you when you brought him here to visit the children, what _really_ happened?"

Rose looked at her mum and knew she'd never get away with anything less than the truth. _Oh well_, she thought to herself_, let's let her have it_.

"Ok, we had a fight, then Jon, Jack and I got accidentally dosed with some weird alien pollen which made us dream we'd been abandoned by the Doctor again in the past of this planet, we figured out how to escape, and in doing so I realized that the pollen could not use Jon to trick me because he and I shared everything and he is my one true love, and we woke up and came home."

Jackie stared at Rose with a deer-in-the-headlamps expression, then shrugged, "Well, good then, why didn't you just say so in the first place? So you and Jon are all good then?"

"Yep-p," Rose smiled, "We're all good."

"I'm glad to hear it," Jackie replied, patting Rose's hand. Then she looked alarmed. "Blimey, your poor hand is _cold!_ Let me heat that tea up for you! Can I get you a sweater? I'd better turn the heat up!" Jackie scrambled up from her seat.

"No, Mum, I'm fine, the tea is fine, the temperature is fine. Sit down."

"Rose, what's going on with you?"

Rose carefully considered her words, as her Mum's premonition from years ago echoed through her thoughts. _"__And in forty years time, fifty, they'll be this woman, this strange woman walking through the marketplace. On some planet a billion miles from Earth. But she's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even human."_

"Mum, do you remember how my body changed while I was pregnant with Arianna?"

"Yeah, we were all very worried about you, especially Jon. Did it happen again with little Peter?"

"Not exactly. It didn't have to. Did Dad tell you anything about our encounter with the Krillitanes after we left Earth?"

Jackie frowned, realising that she'd probably been left out of something. "He just said you'd blown them up."

Rose grinned. "We did. Jon also was able to figure out how to use their oil, - you know, the oil they were using on me and Arianna? Well, he figured out how to use it so he could give himself the ability to regenerate again. Good thing, too, because if he hadn't figured that out and put it to use, Mum, I wouldn't be here today. None of us would. He saved us _again_."


	2. JKChapter1

JKChapter1

Rose proceeded to tell Jackie all about their adventures since they left Earth, and Jackie was by turns shocked, worried, relieved, and proud. Her daughter, a proper Lady and all. Well, a mother couldn't hope for much more for her daughter, all things considered. The fact that Rose wasn't totally Gallifreyan no doubt helped her accept all the changes that Rose had gone through. That she held on to that little bit of humanity, and would not change her face when she regenerated, was a comfort. That Rose decided she would give birth to her future babies rather than have them loomed was something Jackie actually found rather humourous.

"Blimey, not what I would choose!" Jackie laughed as she sipped her tea. "So, you're going to stay there on New Gallifrey then?"

"Yeah, there's a lot of work still to be done. Re-building a society from the ground up is intense, that's for sure. We're always wondering if we're going about it in the right way, always trying to second-guess ourselves. But so far, so good. You should come visit sometime," Rose suggested hopefully.

"Nah, that's not for me. I'm happy here on this Earth, with this Pete, and our Tony." Jackie suddenly looked startled. "Oh my God," she gasped, placing a hand over her mouth, "I just realised somethin' – you're going to outlive all of us, aren't you? We'll all be dead and buried, and you'll just go on..." Jackie met her daughter's eyes, feeling the tears welling.

Rose met her mother's stricken gaze. "Yeah," she said quietly. "That's one part of being a Time Lord that I'm not lookin' forward to." She reached forward and took Jackie's hand. "What can I say, Mum? You could, maybe, I dunno – come with us someday? You don't have to stay here and die."

Now Jackie looked positively horrified. "_What!_ You mean take that oil and change myself? No thank you, _missy!_ I'm perfectly happy being human! I'm sorry that it hasn't been good enough for _you lot!_" Jackie leapt to her feet and stormed over to the sink and started scrubbing vigorously at her teacup, blinking back tears. Rose choked back a sob and gave her mum a moment, then walked over and embraced her from behind, placing her cheek on Jackie's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Mum, I didn't mean it that way. I just – I can't – I don't wanna think about it, is all. I just can't imagine you not being around to talk to."

Jackie stopped scrubbing and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Rose felt her mum's shoulder rise and fall in a huge sigh. Jackie turned around and hugged her daughter tightly. "I know, I know, luv. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded, either. It's just a lot to take in all at once, you know? It'll take some getting used to."

As they comforted each other, a muffled cry was heard from down the hall.

"That will be your son wakin' up. Probably needs his nappy changed, why don't I warm up a bottle while you go take care of him?"

Rose gave her mum one more squeeze then skipped down the hall to see her son, heaving a big sigh of relief as she did. _Well, that could've gone a lot worse than it did_, she thought, glad to have gotten it all out in the open. She walked into the nursery and picked up little Peter and held him close, breathing his baby scent in. Yep, nappy change was definitely in order. Placing him on the changing table she undressed him, blowing raspberries on his tummy and making him chuckle as she changed him.

As Rose tended to little Peter, Jon popped into the kitchen for a drink of water. Playing with children was thirsty work. He found Jackie warming up a bottle, and she turned to him with her hands on her hips and a storm in her eyes. Jon froze in the act of grabbing a glass from the cupboard and wondered what he'd done now to earn her wrath.

"So, you did it. You turned my daughter into an alien." The look in her eyes matched the tone of her voice, which was sub-zero.

Jon carefully placed the glass down on the counter as he considered his response, thanking the stars he could regenerate again, because it didn't appear that Jackie was taking the news very well at all.

"Weellll... um... at the time it seemed like a good idea...," he began.

"Oh shut up you plum! I'm just teasin' ya!" Jackie laughed and walked over to give him a bear hug. "Thank you for saving my daughter, again. But could you please try to stay out of trouble for a little while?"

Jon grinned as he sighed in relief. "I'll try to stay out of trouble, Jackie, I promise. For a little while, anyway. You really had me going there for a moment, you know! "

"I know. You're too easy, you know that? Definitely no match for a Tyler woman. We get you every time! Remember when Rose told ya she was back to workin' in the shop? And that time I told you we named Tony 'Doctor'?"

As they shared a laugh Rose came in holding Peter, whose eyes lit up when he saw his father, and he turned in Rose's arms and reached for him. Jon happily took him, and sat down in a chair as Jackie handed him Peter's bottle.

"So, when is Big Pete going to be here?" Jon asked as he fed his son.

"He's here now!" Pete said and he strode into the kitchen, having come in the fron entrance. He picked Rose up in a big hug. "It's so good to have you two back, we've missed you."

"Thanks, Dad!" Rose gasped as she squeezed back. Good thing she had a respiratory bypass now, she thought. Pete put her down, and leaned down to shake Jon's hand as he held Peter.

"So hopefully you two are going to stick around for a few days? There's a few things I'd like the two of you to look at."

"No business talk now, Pete!" Jackie admonished. "This is _family_ time. It's a lovely day out, why don't we all go outside with the kids, Cook is going to want us out of her kitchen anyway so she can fix dinner."

They wound up spending a peaceful evening with Jackie, Pete, and Tony. When it was getting late, Jon, Rose, and the children piled into Lourdes and they hopped over to their old home. Jackie had had a cleaning crew in, so it was fresh and ready to move in. They put little Peter to bed in the nursery and got the older children tucked in. Opening a bottle of wine, Jon and Rose sat out back, sipping the wine, gazing at the stars, and enjoying the peaceful evening. They watched the activity in the night sky, and Jon identified various air and space craft as they traveled across their field of vision.

"Things certainly have picked up around here since Earth signed the Shadow Proclamation as a Level Six planet," Rose observed.

"Yes, they certainly have, and it's only just beginning. Earth is going to make advances that make the last 100 years pale in comparison. It's an exciting time to be on Earth. I can only think of one place in the universe that's more exciting right now."

They both smiled as they thought of home, New Gallifrey. Their plan was to spend a few days on Earth working with Torchwood and visiting friends before returning home.

"I wonder what it is that Pete wants us to look at?" Rose wondered.

"Oh, probably just a contract with some new species. Some of them can be pretty tricky with their use of language, you know, like the Balkans, for instance. They believe anything worth saying should be able to be interpreted in a multitude of ways, so they can back out of a contract if they want to. Then there's the Usurians..."

"Jon!" Rose interrupted, but with a smile. "I know I did ask the question, but let's not start talking Torchwood business just yet. I have something better in mind." She practically purred when she said 'better', and Jon's ears pricked.

"Better?" He waggled his eyebrows.

Rose stood and held out her hand, and they disappeared into the house.


	3. JKChapter2

JKChapter2

The next morning Jon and Rose got up, got everyone fed and dressed, and dropped the kids off at the Tyler mansion before heading out to Torchwood. It felt strange, but in a good way, to be slipping back into their old, familiar routine, if only for a few days. Once they arrived and walked into Torchwood they were greeted by cheers, hugs, and handshakes as they made their way to the elevator. Since neither of them had an office there anymore, they settled into an empty cubicle down the hall from Pete's office on the top floor. As they did so, a few more familiar faces stopped in to say hello. Jake Simmonds, Tosh Sako, and Martha Jones all came by, then Dr. David Johnston came bearing coffee and biscotti. For awhile it was a bit of a party atmosphere as people dropped in and out, finally Pete made his appearance and everyone filtered out and back to their jobs.

"Let's step over into my office," Pete suggested. As they settled into the overstuffed chairs next to his huge window overlooking the city, he sighed and joked, "I don't suppose there's any way I can talk you two into staying, is there?"

"Nope!" They grinned and answered in unison. "Why, what's going on, Dad?" Rose asked after a moment.

"We're just getting incredibly busy. I could really use another pair of experienced hands around here. What with our Level 6 status, we're getting new alien contacts almost daily. We've actually had to hire temps to take on some of the more mundane duties so that we can concentrate on researching our new contacts. The Shadow Proclamation sent us an enormmous database, but just reading through their data dictionary is a project in and of itself. I've got a top-notch person on it, though." Pete's smile held a hint of mystery.

"Well Pete, I'd be delighted to take a look at the database, and I'm sure Lourdes can help translate it for you," Jon volunteered.

"Wonderful! Why don't I take you down and introduce you to the temp we have working on it, and the two of you can discuss things. Rose, would you mind going over to the Space Marshal's office and bringing him up to date? He's been briefed, of course, but you know how much he enjoys speaking with you in-peron." Pete winked. Then he added more soberly, "Old Stacey's actually had a rough time of it lately, he's a widower now."

Rose was taken aback. "Really? But he's the same age as you, Dad, his wife must've been about the same, yeah? That's much too young! What happened?"

"Aneurysm. They never saw it coming." Pete shook his head sadly. "The Admiral's doing alright, stiff upper lip and all, but I really think he'd enjoy seeing you without the two of us hanging about," he inclined his head in Jon's direction. Jon smiled and nodded. People opened up to Rose, and it embarassed her a little sometimes, it probably would be best if she handled this one alone. Besides, any excuse was a good excuse to avoid "Spacey Stacey".

"Right, we'll call you before we come up. Give you a little time to see how things are with him." With that Pete and Jon took off for the IT floor. Rose sighed, shouldered her purse, and started down the hall to the offices of Space Marshal Eustace Grimm. Grimm's suite took up a relatively modest corner of the top floor, he had his own spacious office, plus a smaller one for his Executive Assistant, plus a small reception area staffed by an attractive young male secretary, Lieutenant Prescott Smith.

"Hello, Pres, how are you?" Rose grinned as the young man beamed in delight.

"Ms. Tyler, it's wonderful to see you! I'll let the Space Marshal know you're here!"

"No need," came a booming voice, as Grimm strode through his doorway. Rose and Lt. Smith exchanged amused glances, Grimm always waited at his desk, he never came to greet anyone himself. Grimm quickly took Rose's hands in his and squeezed. "Ms. Tyler, welcome home. Come," he guided her into his office without so much as a glance back at his secretary, and barked,"Lt. Smith, tea please!"

"It's good to see you again, sir," Rose began as directed her to be seated at a small conference table and sat down across from her.

"Oh, I doubt that, I've no illusions about my popularity, or rather the lack of it around here. Being popular is not my job, keeping the Earth safe is, and I'm very determined to do so."

"And you're doing it very well," Rose smiled.

"_Pshaw_, you mean _Torchwood_ is doing it very well, don't you Ms. Tyler?" The Space Marshal smiled as he eyed her skeptically.

"Torchwood can't do it all, they depend upon you to have their back and be the laison between them and the British Armed Forces. Now, let's cut the chat and talk about why I'm really here." Rose rested her chin on her fists and looked Grimm in the eye. "What do you want to know?" she asked.

"Straight to the point, that what I like about you, Ms. Tyler. Alright, the Krillitanes. I've read your files that you downloaded, spent a good bit of the night reviewing them, in fact." This was born out by the new lines she saw radiating out from the Space Marshals tired but intense blue eyes. "So tell me why I should be convinced that they're really allies."

"You shouldn't." Rose stated matter-of-factly. "While the Krillitane Esteemed Father takes a great interest in New Gallifrey, and has set himself up as our protector against the Shadow Proclamation, Jon doesn't trust him, and neither do I."

"What do you think he's really after?"

"A powerful ally against the Shadows, obviously. But we feel he's after something more, we're just not sure what that is. We've been very, very careful not to let him know about time travel, and to hide our TARDIS. However, he may know something of it, he's had access to three individuals who know something of the abilities that the Time Lords from the other universe had. It's the nature of Krillitanes to take on desireable characteristics of other species, however we've seen no evidence that he's done it, and we know he needs a subject to study _intimately_ in order to achieve it. As far as he knows, the only Time Lords in this universe right now are Jon and myself, and he has made no moves to detain us."

"So you're really a Time Lord now."

"Yep-p." She popped the 'p' deliberately. "I am. We're slowly evaluating individuals on New Gallifrey and asking some of them if they want to join us, so far quite a few have, and we're teaching them at our Academy. Once they pass, and if they're still willing, we'll teach them how to use the Krillitane oil and help them become full Time Lords."

Grimm nodded. "Shaping a society to become defenders of the universe. I can't imagine anything more exciting, or challenging, or _dangerous_."

Rose agreed. "It certainly isn't an adventure for the faint of heart! But we'll learn from the misakes of those who came before us, and hopefully we'll do better."

"What mistakes would those be?" Grimm asked.

"The Time Lords had become arrogant, cold and distant, they insisted on only watching and protecting the time lines, never interfering even when innocents were being hurt or even killed. Jon was a rebel, and they punished him very severely on more than one occasion for his interference."

"Hmmph... sounds a lot like proper British society." Grimm observed.

Rose's eyes grew wide. "Was that a joke? From _you_?" They laughed together.

"What, didn't think I had it in me?" Grimm chided.

"Well, it isn't your usual way. You're usually much too serious."

Changing the subject, Grimm remarked, "So I understand your family has grown."

Rose couldn't repress a huge grin. "Yeah, we adopted a little girl, older than Arianna actually, but you'd never know it the way Arianna bosses her around. But they are good for each other. Plus we've had a son, Peter." Her tongue snuck out the corner of her mouth as she grinned slyly. "Wanna see pictures?" She had her iPod out before Grimm could say anything, and she moved to the chair next to him and took him through the gallery of photos. While they were perusing them, Rose finally said what she had been waiting to say when the right opportunity came.

"So, I wanted to tell you how sorry I was to hear about your loss."

"Thank you, Ms. Tyler."

"Call me Rose. You never spoke much about your family. What was your wife's name?"

Grimm studied her for a moment, Rose was afraid she'd asked too much from this normally closed person, but he finally answered. "Marion. Her name was Marion."

"Why, that's my middle name!"

"I know," he answered quietly. An awkward silence passed between them, then he spoke again. "Marion and I loved our country, our family, and our way of life very much, but we were never like you and Jon, we weren't affectionate in public, nor really in private. I've always rather envied you Tylers for being so loved by the people around you. I've always wondered what it must be like. It wasn't that Marion and I weren't devoted to each other, and to our children, but we weren't brought up to say it, or demonstrate it beyond doing our best to give our children the proper upbringing for living in and contributing to society. As a result, I'm afraid, my children and I aren't particularly close. I haven't even seen any of them since the will was read. Honestly, when Marion died, I felt like I might as well have myself. My children are completely independent of me, we did a very good job of making sure they could support themselves. Perhaps a bit too good. The other day I realised I hdn't sent a card for my son's birthday, that had been Marion's responsibility, so I rang him up."

"Was he surprised?" Rose asked, smiling.

"Indeed he was, and a bit annoyed. Seems I interrupted his favorite television show and he wanted to get back to it, although he was too well brought up to come out and say so, but I could hear it in the background and I could tell he didn't want to talk. So, I wished him a happy birthday, and sent him a cheque. His wife sent me a note thanking me and telling me he'd gotten himself a new driver for his golf set."

"That does seem a bit cold."

"Well, that's how we brought them up, I suppose. I was never around that much while they were growing up, so they don't see any reason why I should be around now."

"Well, it's not too late, you can change things. You can be around more, I'm sure somehow you can find a way to do it."

"No, Ms – I mean, Rose. I won't push myself upon them. I'll just continue here as I always have, keeping them safe. It's all I really know, anyway."

Rose felt an idea take shape in her head. Before she could help herself, she blurted out, "Why don't you come with us?"

Grimm looked shocked, then rather tender. "Oh, my dear Rose, I couldn't possibly. I have too much to do here, I couldn't just leave. Besides, what would I do? I'd be a 'fifth wheel'."

"You know, my life didn't really begin until I'd met the Doctor and saw all there is out there, he taught me what it was like to truly be alive. Until then, I was just a shop girl, goin' to work, barely makin' a living, basically just existin'. Now I've been able to really make a difference, and I wouldn't go back for anything. You've just been existing, too. Come on a trip with us, we have a time machine, no one even has to know you're gone. Just try it, see what's out there, have an adventure, have some _fun_."

Grimm looked at her thought fully. "Ok," he agreed. "Just one trip. It _will_ do me good to have an adventure. Something to tell the grandkids about, if I ever have any."

"There ya go!" Rose grinned her infectious grin, and they were laughing together when Pete called to say he and Jon were on their way up.


	4. JKChapter3

JKChapter3

Pete's face held a smug little smile all the way down to the Archives, as he cheerfully explained what was going on. "I'm sure that the way the data dictionary and the database itself are laid out makes perfect sense to the Shadow Proclamation, but as the 'new kids on the block', its organisation is a bit confusing to us. Dr. Sato is working on translating it for us, and we have a temp helping her re-arrange it as she decides what belongs where."

As they walked into the Archives, an enormous cavern of a room full of racks of computers and cubicles, Jon immediately saw Tosh and strode over to her desk, her eyes lit up as she saw him approaching and she jumped out of her chair and ran to meet him.

"Doctor! Thank you for visiting us! Are you going to be able to spend a little time helping us make sense of all this?"

"Weelll... I'm sure I can spend a little time down here, let's see what you've got so far..." Jon put on his brainy specs and sat at Tosh's desk, with its three monitors, to get a better look at what Tosh had been working on. "Um... uh-huh... yep..." he murmured as he quickly paged down through Tosh's translation on the middle screen while he compared it to the actual database on the right screen as well as the data dictionary on the left. Tosh leaned forward and looked on over his right shoulder, marveling at the speed at which he flew through the screens. He was concentrating so hard that he almost didn't hear another set of footsteps as they clicked over from another desk around the left corner of the cubicle.

"Ah HAH!" He almost shouted as he stopped at a line. Everyone jumped. "You see here, Tosh my dear, you made a very common, completely understandable, but possibly devasting mistake had this become the official translation and you ever had to actually deal with the Sontarans. See, " he said, pointing to a line of text on the screen, "Right here where you indicate that it is advisable to try to make contact with the third digit of their hands when greeting, you should actually have said that it is advisable to AVOID any contact with that digit, as it is actually an open invitation to have coitus right then and there, and coitus is something the Sontarans take _very_ seriously. Had a human done that and then refused the advances of the Sontaran, it would have amounted to a _gynormous_ insult, and a duel to the death would have ensued!"

"And you know this how, exactly?" came a familiar, sarcastic voice from over his left shoulder. Jon's jaw nearly hit the floor as he gasped and spun around abruptly, nearly hitting Tosh before coming face-to-face with the temp from Chiswick.

"_Donna Noble_." He said in disbelief.

Donne was nonplussed for a moment, then responded, "Yeah, that's me alright. Why are you looking at me like that? Did I grow a second head or somethin'?"

Jon just stared at her, taking in the sight of her after so many years. This Donna was thinner, more angular, and she had blond streaks in her more muted, natural-looking red hair. It was cut in a shoulder-length graduated bob, which looked very professional, and she was dressed in a smart dove-grey jacket and skirt with a soft blue blouse and tasteful matching pumps.

"You look _wonderful_," he answered sincerely. Donna took a step back, as she was starting to get creeped out a bit, when Pete stepped forward from where he had been enjoying the scene.

"Donna Noble, this is the Doctor. Doctor, this is Donna Noble."

"Doctor _WHO_? And how did he know who I am? And why is he still lookin' at me like he's seen a _ghost_ or somethin'?"

Jon jumped up from the chair and whipped off his brainy specs, placing them back in his suit pocket and making time to try to formulate an attempt to smooth over the awkward moment. "Ah... it's nothing, Donna... sorry if I weirded you out there, it's just that I'd heard so much about you, and you know how you form this mental picture of someone before you meet them, and they usually don't look anything like you'd imagined? Well, you look almost exactly like I'd imagined, except you're thinner, and less red, and less frumpy." He smiled and tried to look innocent.

Donna squared her shoulder and placed her fists on her hips. "So everything you've heard about me made me sound fat, cheap, and tarty? _Director_, what have you been sayin' about me?" She glared at Pete.

"I think perhaps we started off on the wrong foot, here. Donna, the Doctor has heard nothing but praise for your excellent services," (to which Jon nodded vigorously), "he just gets a bit flummoxed at at times when he meets women, you know these intellectual types, no social graces." Pete grabbed Jon by the arm and together they beat a hasty retreat, Jon looking back over his shoulder and calling, "Um... Tosh...um.. later!" before Pete whisked him out the door.

"You could have warned me!" Jon complained once they made it safely into the lift and the doors closed behind them.

"What? And missed seeing the look on your face when she opened her mouth? Not bloody likely!" Pete laughed as he entered his code for the top floor. "Consider this my revenge for all the times I've had to cover for you when you've gone and done something to upset Jackie."

Jon considered this for a moment. "Fair enough," he concluded, "but next time – _warn me!_"

When they entered the Space Marshal's office they were greeted by a rather flushed Grimm and a pleased looking Rose.

"So," Grimm said to Jon, "you'll give me an idea of when you're ready to leave, in the mean time I'll get my affairs in order 'just in case'." He clapped Jon on the arm, nodded to Pete, and left the room swiftly, they overheard him tell Lt. Smith he'd be out for the rest of the day. Jon raised his brows and looked at Rose questioningly. Rose shrugged innocently, tucked her chin and batted her eyes and replied, "He comin' with us."

Jon's jaw dropped for the second time that day. "He's _what?_"

"He needs a little adventure, he's been havin' a rough time of it." Rose said defensively. "Besides, he _is_ the 'Space' Marshal, why shouldn't he he take a trip in time and space?"

"Sounds logical to me," Pete volunteered. Jon shot him a dark look and Rose winked at him conspiratorily. "He's not going to be gone that long, Dad," she warned with a smile. "Don't get used to 'im not bein' here."

"Definitely! _Don't_ get used to it!" Jon agreed.

As the three left the office and headed down the hallway, Rose reached for Jon's hand. "Why don't we go down to the cafeteria and get some fish & chips? I'm starvin'!"

Jon looked at her suspiciously. "You don't happen to have anyone down there waiting to surprise me with anything, do you? I've had enough surprises for one day!"

"Since when?" She shot back, having no idea why he seemed so cross. Surely he couldn't really be upset about taking the Space Marshal on a trip, could he? Pete then filled her in on his meeting up with Donna Noble.

"Oh," was all she said, stifling a giggle. Pete then returned to his office while, waiting for the lift to arrive to take them down to the cafeteria, Jon glared at his retreating back. Once they were on the way down, Rose started humming 'Who Could It Be Now?' and Jon tried his best to glare at her, but started giggling himself.

"I would give just about anything to have been a fly on the wall," Rose sniggered.

"Well, Rose Tyler, while we do have a time machine, we'd also need a trans-species progenerator to make that wish come true, or a heck of a lot of Krillitane oil." He smiled and put his arm around her. "It's just as well, you might get fried by the pest control system, and then where would I be without my Rose?" The lift doors opened and they walked arm-in-arm into the cafeteria and got their fish & chips. As they sat across from each other at a table near a window, happily munching, a chair was pulled up between them and down sat Donna Noble.

Jon hurredly tried to swallow his food as he held a finger up, wanting to explain. Donna dismissed his efforts with a gesture as Rose openly stared at her in admiration.

"Stuff it, Spaceman, Tosh and me had a little talk, I know all about my doppelganger in the other universe." Jon swallowed with relief. "So," she continued, giving him a hard look, "was Other Me really fat or what?"

"Oh, oh no, no no...well, perhaps just a bit... OUCH!" He glared at Rose, who had just kicked him under the table.

"Hello, I'm Rose." Rose extended her hand.

"Hello, I'm Donna." Donna shook Rose's hand. "Did you know Other Me as well?"

"Yeah, I did, and she was brilliant!"

"For one moment, your other self was the most important woman in the universe." Jon offered.

"So, you're basically tellin' me I was – or am - one tough act to follow."

"Yep – p." Rose and Jon said in unison.

"Figures!" Donna said smugly. "I do have one request – Tosh was tellin' me that your ship is bigger on the inside – is it really?" When Rose and Jon both grinned and nodded enthusiastically, she added, "Could I see it just once before you leave?"

"I don't see any reason why not." Rose smiled.

"I'll make sure to come fetch you before we leave." Jon promised.

"Thank you both! Now, I don't want to intrude, you two can go back to your meal, you know where to find me. I just wanted to let you know it's OK, I know why you looked at me like that before."

As Donna strode away, Jon and Rose looked at each other and grinned. "Brilliant!" they said in unision.


	5. JKChapter4

JKChapter4

Koschei paced in his apartment like a caged animal. There was something he needed to remember. It kept pricking at his consciousness anytime he was alone. What was it? This was maddening. He looked at he clock on the wall, even though he knew what time it was. He always knew what time it was. How could he always know what time it was? But he did, down to the nanosecond. Father would be here soon. He felt himself brighten at the thought, then quashed it down. No, he needed to remember. But what was it? There was something... important... then he heard the almost musical sequence of the door lock being accessed from the outside, and all thoughts of remembering vanished as Father walked through the door.

"Father!" Koschei cried joyously, as always, as he launched himself into the Esteemed Father's arms.

"Koschei," the Father spoke the word as a caress as he held his prisoner, cupping his face and kissing him firmly on the lips. "How is my favorite boy today?"

"Better now that you're here!" Koschie grinned, unable to conceal his exuberance.

"Why? Was there something wrong?" the Father asked.

Koschei thought for a moment. What was troubling him? He couldn't remember. "Nothing," he finally answered. "I just couldn't wait for you to get home."

More than a year had passed since the Esteemed Father had dropped Isana and the first group of rescued Gallifreyans off in New Gallifrey. Since then, he had been very busy. For one thing, he had torn down Koschei's criminal psyche and was rebuilding him into a love slave, among other things. Tearing Koschei down had been no small feat, the Father had even finally gone so far as to employ some of his elite torture specialists to accomplish the task. These specialists had the technology to viciously violate Koschei in every way possible, then heal him completely, as if it had never occurred. Then they would repeat the cycle. Eventually the Father had stepped in and put a stop to it. Gently he unstrapped Koschei from the examination table he had been strapped onto for what had seemed like years, but had actually only been a few weeks. The Father carried the weeping Koschei down a long hall and into a bright little secure apartment and laid him in a bed freshly made up with clean linens. He had crept into bed with him and held him close, gently entering his mind and burying the memories of all that he had ever known.

"Who am I?" he asked Koschei afterward, stroking his face and looking deep into his eyes.

"I don't know," Koschei whispered back, shaking his head.

"I am your God, Koschei. I am your Father, I am your Mother, I am your Sister, your Brother, I am your Everything. You would not even exist if it did not please me. Do you understand?"

"_Yes._" Koschei whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Good." The Father then slowly and tenderly made love to Koschei.

The Father hadn't stopped at psychological changes. Koschei's diet included a healthy dose of Krillitane oil, carefully administered by an assistant because of its explosive effect on the Krillitanes themselves. While Koschei lay deep in sleep, the Father would enter his mind, helping it manipulate the strands of his DNA. The Father had studied his samples of Jon's DNA extensively, and was using Koschei as a guinea pig to see what effect the changes had on him. During Koschei's weekly scans it was revealed that his brain was changing, he was growing a mass that appeared to be a separate lobe of some kind. The communication between the two main lobes was also undergoing changes, their functions were becoming more separate and distinct.

Partly as a personal joke, partly to help keep Koschei under control, and ultimately as part of the overall experiment, the Father had also introduced DNA strands from the Plicarian race. Plicarians were a race dedicated to mulitplying – as in reproduction, not mathmatics. They were renown for solving sterility issues for couples of mixed races, however all but the most desperate couples eschewed their help, for one because the Plicarians were preoccupied with sex, and were not particular about who they had sex with, or even if that being gave its permission. Their culture had no concept of refusal of sexual advances, simply because they themselves were incapable of refusal. Plicarians had sex constantly, while doing almost everything. They multiplied faster than rabbits, mothers even had litters, and would nurse their young while simultaneously working at their terminals. Like rabbits, they were a 'prey' race, in that there was another race on their planet, called the Praed, who regularly 'harvested' them. Praeds also harvested any other race they came in contact with, yet another reason why their planet had few visitors. Their planet was not a member of the Shadow Proclamation, and so they were left alone to practice their own unique cultures. You went there at your own risk.

The Father's experiments upon Koschei appeared to be succeeding. Koschei became devoted to the Father, and surveillance showed him pacing impatiently until the Father came to him almost every evening. His sexual appetite was insatiable, and when the Father was called away on other business, he made sure members of his staff with a certain predeliction visited him to keep him happy. The Father was pleased with Koschei's progress, and expected to soon introduce Koschei to his 'other' experiment.

Little did the Esteemed Father realise that, apart from the box in Koschei's mind where he thought he had locked up all his memories of who and what he had been, there was another box hidden away by Koschei himself. Koschei was also well-versed in the concept of physical and mental torture, having been taught by the Shadows, and as he had undergone the ministrations of the Father's elite torture staff, he knew full well what they were trying to do, and had locked his memories away, in a landscape in his mind, in a network of tunnels where he had once lived with the love of his life, Isanatrubella. The Father did not realise that Koschei's pacing was not due to sexual tension, but to memories that were calling to him when he was alone and 'safe'. The Father also did not realise that it was his 'othe'r experiment that would bring them raging to the surface.

The Father had visited the Plicarian world for a reason. Intrigued by Jon's account of Looms, he had set out to gather the best reproductive technology that existed in his universe, and that mandated a visit with the Plicarians. Being very sexually liberal and from a powerful predatory race himself, he had nothing to fear from either side. He had returned to the Krillitane Homeworld and set to work. Starting with some eggs harvested from one of the rescued Galli women who had required extensive medical treatment, and kept in stasis until he could combine them with some living cells harvested from Isana during her brief respite there, he cloned her. Most of the embryos were placed in stasis, the others were placed in Plicarian incubators. After several failed attempts to accelerate their growth, he finally hit on the correct combination of nutrients and steroids, and was able to grow the last incubated embryo to adulthood. Naturally he named her 'Isanatrubella".

Isana was also treated with Krillitane oil, in fact she had been treated with it even as she grew in the incubator. The Father was able to more easily enter her mind than Koschei's, and incorporated all of Jon's unique DNA strands into hers. The result was a quadruple helix, the functions of which he did not entirely understand, especially since some sequences seemed to be missing. But there was no mistaking Isana's unique physiology. Besides the changes to her brain, which were already more advanced than Koschei's, she had two stomachs, a fully functional respiratory bypass, some other organs that he could not identify, and a redundant nervous system. She only had one heart, which was odd, since Jon had two, and his DNA was the blueprint the father had been working from, but there was tissue located where her second heart should be which seemed to serve no purpose. He speculated that perhaps the second heart was something that would develop over time.

Isana also learned incredibly quickly, and innately seemed to understand mathmatical concepts that her Krillitane instructors themselves struggled with. The Father was anxious to reproduce more of her, realising the value of having such minds at his disposal, but also realised that such minds could easily come to the conclusion that they could rebel. Infusing her DNA with Plicarian strands as he had Koschei's also made sense, and he reluctantly did so. Between Isana and Koschei, his staff was quite happy, and his experiments seemed too preoccupied with lust to contemplate rebellion.

It was only a question of time before he would put the two of them together and see if they could reproduce.


	6. JKChapter5

JKChapter5

Jon and Rose's visit to Earth quickly came to a close. On the morning of their departure they visited the Tyler mansion one more time. Everyone hugged Jackie goodbye, and Alia and Arianna boarded Lourdes laden with gifts.

"Promise me you'll come back soon! I want to see my grandchildren grow up – _slowly!"_ Jackie insisted, while Jon and Rose assured her they would. After they made their way into Lourdes, Rose took little Peter to the nursery while Jon set the coordinates for Torchwood and buckled the older children into the jump seat.

"Off to Torchwood, and Spacey Stacey!" Jon pronouced, just a bit sarcastically, as Rose returned from the nursery to help guide Lourdes. Soon they set down inside Torchwood headquarters.

"You go get Stacey, and I'll call Donna." Jon volunteered with a toothy smile. Rose just as sweetly aquiessed, knowing she'd be better able to smooth Space Admiral Grimm's embarkment anyway. As she skipped out Lourdes' door, she almost ran smack into Pete Tyler.

"Dad!" Rose exclaimed with delight, as he scooped her up in a bear hug, which she enthusiastically returned. "I was going to catch you on the way up to collect Space Marshall Grimm," she explained as Pete set her back down.

"I knew you wouldn't leave without visiting the old man," Pete teased back while cupping her chin. "I just thought I'd meet you and save you some time. I think Stacey is anxious to be off. There's his luggage, just waiting to be loaded," he directed her gaze to a spot along the wall just behind and to the right of Lourdes, who had assumed her default Police Box appearance as she had materialized inside Torchwood. Rose surveyed the stack of trunks, valises, and boxes with a bit of wonder.

"_He's even worse than Mum!_" She stage-whispered to Pete with a wink. After they both had a good laugh, she sighed. "I guess I should have told him that Lourdes would provide him with almost everything he'd need."

"I have a feeling he'd bring it all along anyway. He's very particular."

"You're probably right, Dad." Rose smiled and reached for his hand. "Walk me up to his office?"

They said not another word while they walked hand-in-hand, in quiet enjoyment of each other, down the hall and waited to board the lift. Rose silently wished she'd had more time to spend with Pete, there was always a part of her that wanted to make up for all the time lost between when he had died in her original universe and when she and Jackie had been stuck here in this one, and this Pete had adopted her as his daughter. She wondered if she would always feel a bit torn. While she wouldn't trade her life with Jon for anything, still... the elevator chimed and the doors opened to the top floor. She started a bit, as she realised she didn't even remember getting on.

"I'll see you down at the TARDIS," Pete promised, bending down and kissing her cheek.

"OK, see ya!" Rose smiled. As she stepped into the hall and the doors closed, she felt a little like crying. _Baby blues_, she chided herself, _pull yourself together!_ Squaring her shoulders, she strode down the hall to Space Admiral Grimm's office.

As Rose and Pete left for Grimm's office, Jon had phoned Donna to arrange her tour of Lourdes. She had enthusiastically told him she'd be right there, and sure enough she was, bursting in a bit red-faced and flustered from running in high heels up the stairway because she didn't want to wait for the lift. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared, gobsmacked. She stood stock-still, not moving a hair, except her eyes which rolled around excitedly taking in her surroundings.

"It... it..." she tried to say,

"It _really is_ bigger on the inside!" Jon finished for her, helpfully.

"Yeah..." Donna exclaimed weakly, then blinked and came to herself. She shook her head as if to clear it. "Oi, Spaceman, you don't need to state the obvious to me!" She placed one hand on her hip and the other on the strap of her handbag and strutted up the ramp as if she did it every day. Spotting Alia and Arianna on the jumpseat she forgot her indignation and smiled and greeted them. "Well, hello!"

"Hello!" Arianna responded very seriously while Alia giggled. "You must be Donna Noble. We've been expecting you. Would you like a tour of our TARDIS?"

With an amused glance at Jon, who discreetly winked back, Donna exclaimed, "Why yes, that would be delightful!"

Arianna jumped down, followed by Alia, and instructed her, "Please come along with us, Daddy has to keep an eye on our little brother Peter, who is in the nursery. If you promise to be very quiet, we'll take you to have a peek in there first."

"Absolutely, I'll be very, very quiet," Donna promised solemnly. Setting her purse down on the jump seat, she smiled as Alia took one hand, Arianna the other, and they led her off down the passageway, with Jon trailing along in the rear.

Rose strode down the hall and greeted Lt. Smith warmly. "Is he ready?"

"You bet I'm ready!" Came a booming voice. Space Marshall Eustace Grimm quickly strode out to the reception area from his office. "Everything in order, Lt. Smith?"

"Yes, sir!" Lt. Smith snapped to attention and saluted. Grimm returned the salute. Turning to Rose, he smiled. "Let's be on our way, then." As they strode own the hall to the lifty, he remarked quietly, "I can't say as how I've ever looked forward to anything so much as I am this trip. I feel like a little boy again, going for his first train ride."

"I know what you mean! It never gets old, either. Just wait 'til you see what's out there, Space Marshal, -" Grimm interrupted her with a gesture.

"I'd rather not be the Space Marshal for this trip, Rose. Just call me Grimm."

"Grimm?" Rose asked as they boarded the lift. "That sounds so... _grim_." She made a frowning face as she said it. Both chuckled at the pun.

"Well, it _is_ accurate..." he mused.

"Naw, we have to come up with something better 'n 'at." Rose responded, smiling with the tip of her tongue showing. "Why not use your given name?"

"Eustace? I hate to admit it, but I loathe that name, and I don't particularly like my nickname, either," he said with a sideways glance at her. The lift arrived at their destination and they stepped out and headed fro Lourdes.

"Well, what did your wife call you?"

"Mrs. Grimm always called me Mr. Grimm."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "_That_ sounds too much like Mr. _Grinch!_"

They shared a hearty laugh as they entered Lourdes. "Many would tell you it isn't too far from the mark!" Grimm assured her. They came to a stop in front of Lourdes.

"Um... I forgot to tell you that Lourdes will furnish everything you need – all the luggage won't be necessary," Rose said hesitantly.

"Hmm... well, it's here now, can we just store it somewhere? I understand there's plenty of room – hard as that is to believe..." he mused as he gazed at the Police box in front of him.

"We can just put it below," Rose agreed, and pushed Lourdes' door open.

"Wait a minute!" Grimm barked. "Why did you push the door open when it clearly says, 'PULL TO OPEN'?

Rose grinned a huge grin. "Watch this," she instructed. She closed the door. "Lourdes has what we call a 'Chameleon' circuit. It's what enables her to disguise herself as a Police box, which is our favorite disguise, or whatever she thinks is best when she materializes. Part of that circuit contains a perception filter. It causes people to not really notice her, even if they're looking right at her. Sometimes, however, the perception filter doesn't affect people. For instance, if someone has a lot of adrenaline in their system, the perception filter doesn't affect their brain. So they notice her. Now, TARDIS' are living ships. They are sentient, they can think and feel, although they're not capable of communicating with us much. Anyway, they can sense when someone is frightened or in danger, and can over-ride the door locking mechanism at will. So let's say someone was bein' chased down the street by a mugger, and sees Lourdes in her Police box mode. They see the notice that says 'PULL TO OPEN', and they do. This is what they see." Rose _pulled_ the door open and walked inside. "C'mon in," she called.

Grimm walked in the door and looked about in the cramped space. "It's just a police box!"

"Right! Now, walk back out." Grimm did, and Rose closed the door. "Now try to open it!" He could not. Rose pushed the door open and walked back out. "You see, she likes to protect people who need it. Also, anyone who might be poking about would see the same thing."

"What if they tried to push the door open like you did before?" Grimm asked.

"Try it."

Grimm pushed on the door, and it didn't budge. "You need a key, or you've gotta be part of the family to enter properly," Rose explained.

"Amazing!"

"Now that you've been properly impressed, let's get your luggage stowed down below, and I'll give you the VIP tour."

The others were returning from Donna's tour as Rose and Grimm walked up the ramp after stowing his luggage, and Grimm looked wonderingly about him. He rested his hand on one of Lourdes' coral struts and remarked to no one in particular, "A sentient, living ship that's bigger on the inside, and can travel in time and space. I never thought I would ever live to see such a thing. And here I am, _going for a ride in it!_" Decades of responsibilities and cares dropped from his countenance, and he resembled the boy he had once been. It was not lost on his audience, especially Donna, who had encountered the Space Marshal on the job just once, and had ever after avoided him at all costs. For a moment, she caught herself thinking that he looked quite handsome. Then she reminded herself that he was the Space Marshal, she was a temp, and he was extremely stuffy and disagreeable in any case.

"I suppose I should be off," she said quietly, not wanting to leave, but knowing she must. Arianna tapped her, and held up her arms. Donna was caught a bit off guard, but picked up the delightful child who had amazed her during the tour of the ship with her detailed dialogue.

"Thank you for visiting us, I hope we get to visit again!" Arianna said as she gave Donna a great, big hug.

"Why, thank you so much, I do, too!" Donna replied, feeling a biy misty-eyed as she set the little girl back down. Alia then lined up for her hug, as did Jon and Rose, and they exchanged their goodbyes. Donna turned to walk down the ramp, and of course came almost face-to-face with Space Marshal Grimm, who out of decorum, held out his hand, but she could see that while he did remember their one, brief, rather unpleasant encounter, he had no idea just who she was.

"Donna Noble, fastest temp in Chiswick. You don't need to introduce yourself, Space Marshal." Ignoring his proffered hand, and with a disdainful toss of her hair she marched down the ramp and out of Lourdes, getting all the way back to the IT department before reaching for her access card and realising she didn't have her purse.

"That... was _Donna Noble_?" Grimm asked, slightly aghast. He, of course, had read about her and her role in defeating the Daleks in the other universe.

"Yep-p! This universe's version, anyway. Just as brilliant as the other, I must say." Jon affirmed. After a moment, "She didn't seem too impressed with you now, did she?" He couldn't help a bit of a smirk.

"I'm afraid my only encounter with her was not pleasant. I'll have to make it up to her when I return." Jon and Rose exchanged glances. This was a significant change from the Space Marshal's usual arrogance.

"Welllll... what do you say we get on with the tour? These are our daughters Arianna and Alia, and they will be your tour guides. Ladies, meet Space Marshal Grimm."

"Hello, Space Marshal, we're very pleased to meet you, won't you walk this way? Our first stop will be the nursery, where our little brother, Peter, is sleeping, so please be very quiet!" Arianna announced, and the girls each took a hand and gently but insistently led the space Marshal off, with Jon and Rose trailing behind in amusement. No one noticed the purse on the jump seat.

Donna Noble groaned and leaned against the IT Department door. Well, there was nothing for it, she'd have to go back and retrieve her purse before they left, and she'd better hurry up and do it, at that. Slinking back after such an exit as her would be embarrassing, and she was sure that arrogant Space Marshal would doubtless take great satisfaction in it. Matter of fact, even if she had remembered to grab her purse before she left, being such a snot likely had been a very bad idea regardless. Sooner or later she'd have to face the music anyway, best get it over with. Her mum was right, she had a hot head and a smart mouth, and many times it was her undoing. No wonder she couldn't hold a regular job.

She took a moment in front of Lourdes' doors to swallow her pride, and then knocked smartly. Much to her surprise, the door opened into the ship with a welcoming creak. She walked in hesitantly. "Hello!" She looked about and saw no one. They must be giving the Space Marshal a tour, as well. Blowing her bangs off her face in relief, she bounded up the ramp and over to the jumpseat, grabbing her purse, and turned to leave, when she heard whimpering. It sounded like it was coming from the nursery. _Oh well, not your problem, Donna Noble_, she said to herself and turned to leave, when the whimpering escalated to a cry. She stopped in her tracks, her shoulders slumped, deciding to creep back to the nursery to see if anyone was attending to little Peter. She couldn't just walk away, she would just peek around the door, and if Jon or Rose was there, turn around and sneak back off before anyone knew she was there. When she got to the nursery door, she slowly leaned and discreetly peeked in. Not only was no one there, little Peter was looking right at the door and squealed when he saw her. Her nostrils also caught a smell. _Hmmm... alien baby pooh smells just like human baby pooh,_ she thought wryly. Donna knew enough about babies that he shouldn't be left that way. She strode in determinedly, placed her purse on the changing table, and picked Peter up out of his crib.

"OK, little alien man, here we go, and if you wee on me, I'll kill you!"

Fortunately Rose had everything necessary for nappy-changing near at hand, and Peter's smelly situation was quickly rectified. As Donna picked him up to put him back in his cot, he snuggled against her contentedly. She smiled and hesitated, patting him on the back and enjoying the moment, when he burped. All. Over. Her. New. White. Lace. Blouse! She would have screamed, but she didn't want to scare the baby. Gingerly she placed him back in his crib, and surveyed the damage. Whatever Peter had had for breakfast, it was purple and fruity-smelling. Ugh! Fortunately there wasn't really very much of it, and she always carried one of those nifty stain-erase pens in her purse. After wiping Peter's face, and seeing that he seemed content now that he was clean and burped, she picked up her purse to leave. Sticking her head out the doorway, she was relieved that the control room was still empty. Then she noticed a Ladies Room directly across the hall. Odd, she hadn't noticed it during the tour. Doing a quick calculation in her head, she decided she still had time to do a really quick clean-up and get out before anyone returned. Stepping across and opening the door, she noticed it had a lock. Brilliant! She locked the door behind her, stepped over to the sink, and quickly removed her blouse and wetted the stained area with a little water. It rinsed right off, thank goodness! Wouldn't even need the pen! Now to take it over to the hand dryer and dry it off, and away she'd go.

As Donna was drying her blouse, she felt the floor move under her. With a sinking feeling, she realised the ship had taken off.


	7. JKChapter6

JKChapter6

As the Father prepared to leave Koschei for the evening, he stopped at the door and cupped Koschei's face tenderly. "I have a wonderful surprise for you, Koschei. You'll meet her in the morning."

Koschei gasped. "A _woman?_" He had yet to see a woman, let alone meet one. His heart beat furiously at the thought.

"Yes, Koschei, a woman. I made her for you, so that you could have a mate. I know how lonely you are, waiting for me every day, and so I created a companion for you, so that you'll never be lonely again. You must treat her well," the Father admonished, gently tapping Koschei's nose with his index finger. Koschei looked perplexed.

"Well, yes, of course I will. Why wouldn't I?" He frowned.

The Father caught himself. He shouldn't have said that to Koschei, he shouldn't have even put the thought in his head. _This isn't the same man_, he reminded himself, _you've totally remade him_.

"I'm sorry, Koschei, I shouldn't have put it quite that way. You see, women are so very special, they must always be treated with the highest regard, and I just wanted to be sure to impress that upon you before you meet her."

"Yes, Father. I understand. May I ask, what is she called?"

"Isana. Her name is Isana." Surveying Koschei's face for the slightest hint of disturbance at hearing that name, the Father saw none. Satisfied, the Father kissed Koschei and left for the night.

"Isana," Koschei said aloud, softly, after the father was well away. "_Isana_." Slowly he turned, walked over to his favorite chair, and sat, closing his eyes. To the eyes of his watchers, he was napping, but there was much, much more going on. Isana was the key he had fashioned for the cache of his memories that he had created when he realised what the Father was doing to him. Slowly his entire previous life unfolded, memory by memory. With them came his cunning and his bitterness. He knew that whatever happened, he could not let on to anyone that he had his right mind back. He again applied the lessons he had learned from the Shadow Mentalist, and put his real persona away in the background. As far as the Father and his minions were concerned, he had to be the new Koschei. He would bide his time, and when the opportunity came, he would escape with Isana. A smile crept across his face as he meditated, taking stock of all the changes in his body that the Father had created. There, he suspected, would be the means of his escape, for sooner or later, the Father would have to test his new creation, and whether it could regenerate. If Koschei could control that process, and stall it, perhaps the Father would think him dead, and give him the opportunity he needed. He realised the danger that he might not be able to control it, or or he might die in the process, but death was preferable to this subservient, twisted existence.

With a simple-minded smile for the benefit of his watchers, he got out of his chair and prepared for bed.

The Father stopped by Isana's apartment. Letting himself in, he smiled at the enthusiastic greeting he invariably got.

"Father!" Isana squealed in delight as she threw herself into his arms. "You're here late tonight. Are you staying?" She asked hopefully.

"No, my dear girl, not tonight. I just wanted to stop by and prepare you for a little gift I'll be giving you tomorrow. There's someone I want you to meet, someone I think you'll like very much."

"Who?" Isana's face lit in anticipation.

"A new friend, one I hope you'll grow to love. His name is Kochei."

"Koschei!" She repeated enthusiastically. "What is he like?"

"He is just like you, my dear Isana. Together, if you wish, you could have a family."

"A family." Isana frowned. "But I want to have a family with _you_."

"We aren't compatible," the Father reminded her, stroking her face, "but you and Koschei are perfectly compatible, I made sure of it. Now get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her forehead and let himself out.

Isana sighed, then smiled, and skipped over to her dressing room to decide what to wear in the morning.

When Koschei rose the next morning, he paid extra attention as he showered and shaved. This morning was special, he was going to meet Isana. In the back of his mind, he fleetingly felt a thought, _start over again_. He ate the breakfast provided for him hurriedly, brushed his teeth, then dressed. He lingered over this, what would a woman like? He knew what the Father enjoyed seeing him in, but would a woman like the same things as a man? He eventually chose a soft, silky, aquamarine tunic and matching pants, with a tan buckskin belt and a pair of soft fawn moccasins for his feet. The Father had told him that this particular outfit enhanced his fair coloring. Koschei liked the feel of the silky material against his skin. He hoped Isana would like it, too. After one last look in the mirror, he walked out into his living area and started pacing. His wait was soon over.

The door to his apartment opened, and the Father strode in, beaming at Koschei with approval at his appearance, then a guard followed him, and then Isana. Koschei's breath caught in his throat as he saw what had to be the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. _No scars_, a voice in the back of his head spoke, then receeded. Her dark, shiny hair was pulled back from her face in a simple braid. Her emerald eyes sparkled as she smiled a brilliant smile, her flawless face alight with warmth. Her slender figure was clad in a royal blue velvety dress which clung to her smooth curves, and on her feet were simple jeweled sandals.

"Hello," she greeted him, a little shyly, but sincerely. "You must be Koschei."

"I – I am," Koschei stuttered, then took a deep breath and continued, "I mean, yes I am, and I'm very pleased to meet you, Isana." He looked quickly at the Father, who nodded his approval. "Would you like to sit down? Can I get you anything to drink? I have all kinds of different tea, and coffee, and..."

"Some tea would be very nice indeed, Koschei," the Father interrupted, "we'll go sit down while you make some."

Koschei quickly bustled off to make tea while the Father guided Isana over to the sofa. The guard remained at the door.

"So, what do you think so far, my dear?"

"Oh, I like him, Father!" Isana assured him, softly. Of course she would, with the Plicarian genes he had spliced so carefully with hers – and Koschei's – she liked everyone he introduced her to, a lot.

"If you feel comfortable with him, I'll leave you two alone together for awhile. Is that alright?" Of course, the guard would remain at the door, at least for this meeting. He knew that would not hinder either of his subjects from doing what came naturally.

"Yes!" Isana beamed.

When Koschei returned shortly with tea, the three of them sat and sampled the drink and some biscuits and tried to make small talk, but it was obvious the two wanted to become better aquainted, so the Father soon excused himself and went to his office.

Koschie left his chair and came to sit beside Isana. He reached over and took her hands in his, and slowly they leaned toward one another and shared a chaste kiss. Looking into each other's eyes, they smiled and kissed again, more deeply and passionately. Hand-in-hand they rose, and retired into the bedroom.

Later, as Isana slept peacefully with her head on his shoulder, Koschei came to himself and surveyed his mate. He knew this was not 'his' Isana, but it mattered not. Here was a perfect match for him, unspoiled in beauty or in nature, with no goals apart from pleasing him, well, and the Father, of course. But he could work on that. He knew how the Father had manipulated them, and he felt sure he could do the same. Gently he entered the sleeping Isana's mind, and began working.


	8. JKChapter7

JKChapter7

As Rose, Jon, Grimm, and the children returned from the tour of Lourdes, Rose stopped in the nursery to check on Peter. Catching a whiff of dirty diaper, she carefully lifed the edge of the sleeping tot's nappy and was surprised to find everything clean, dry, and fresh. Carefully she stepped back, turned, and tip-toed out of the room, wondering if perhaps Arianna had taken it upon herself to address the situation. Her daughter was extemely precocious, but normally she asked before climbing in the crib with him. She was still too short to take the side down herself. Shrugging as she walked into the control room to join the others, she decided to speak to her daughter about it later.

"Ready to go?" Jon asked, glancing around the room. Arianna and Alia enthusiastically chorused a "YES!" while scrambling into their seats and strapping in, while Grimm looked around, then decided to grab onto the railing and hang on. Jon entered the coordinates for New Gallifrey, then hit the dematerialization switch, and with her characteristic wheeze, Lourdes left Earth.

Donna quietly opened the door of the ladies' room and peeked out. She could see part of the control room from her vantage point, and could hear Jon babbling on at a mile a minute about Lourdes' controls, time-travel, and the Vortex, while Grimm looked on in fascination, and Rose grinned as she helped manipulate the controls from the other side of the panel. Taking a deep breath, Donna stepped out, squared her shoulders, and strode into the control room.

"Um, hello, I'm still on board!" She grinned nervously as everyone looked up, startled. "I'm afraid I forgot my purse. Came back to get it, stepped into the loo, next thing I know we're movin'! Any chance we can turn around and take me back? Got to finish the work day, y'know, don't wanna get fired!"

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared, then Jon nearly burst with delight.

"Aww... that's just _brilliant!_ Don't worry, Donna Noble, this is a time machine, we can have you back before anyone knows you're gone! Isn't that right, Rose?" Before Rose could do more that nod in agreement, Jon rushed on, "Donna Noble in the TARDIS, what could be better? Seems like old times! Oh Donna Noble, you're going to have an adventure to tell your grandchildren about! Just _wait_ 'til you see New Gallifrey..."

"_Jon!_" Rose walked over from her side of the panel and interrupted him, "Don't you think perhaps you should _ask_ Donna if she wants to come along instead of _assuming_ it?"

Jon's mouth worked and his adams apple bobbed for a few moments as he digested the question. "Um.. yes...well... that was a bit rude of me, wasn't it? I'm sorry, Donna, would you please do us all the honor of accompanying us on our trip? I promise you won't regret it. Besides, Rose and I do have a bit of pull back at Torchwood, and I think the Space Marshall would probably speak up for you if we were to accidentally return you a bit late..." He pointedly glanced over at Grimm, raising his eyebrows.

Grimm self-consciously cleared his throat and replied, "Um, yes, indeed I would, seeing that it was not your intention to to come along, I'm sure I could see to it that it wouldn't reflect poorly on your record."

Jon looked back at Donna, hopefulness beaming from his face.

Donna rolled her eyes theatrically, thrust her arm forward, and replied, "Alright, twist my arm, if you must!"

Jon bounded across the grating to her, grabbing her arm and playfully pretending to twist it, then he wrinkled his nose and leaned over, sniffing her blouse. Donna jumped back a step and raised her hand, ready to whallop him.

"Oi, Spaceman, just watch where you're puttin' your nose! Just what do you think I am, some bleedin' flower or somethin'?"

"Donna, you _smell!_" Jon retorted, with a horrified look on his face.

"_I smell? I SMELL!_ Why you _git!..."_

_"_Yes, like baby sick! That's_ disgusting!"_

The two stared each other down, Donna ready to explode, Jon wondering how he could not have noticed the odor before, when Rose stepped between them, giggling.

"Donna, did you by chance burp Peter recently?"

Donna huffed at Jon, then tried to answer Rose calmly. "Yeah, I did, and I got some on me. Tried to wash it out in the loo, but I guess I wasn't quite THOROUGH ENOUGH!" She spat the last two words at Jon.

"Well, thank you, I was wondering who changed him. You have to forgive Jon, he's very impulsive. Jon, I think you owe Donna an apology!"

Jon sighed. "Was I being rude again? I guess I was. Donna, I'm very sorry that I smelled baby sick on you. Oooh, _baby sick on you_, sounds like a song! _Baby, baby don't get sick on y-oo-ou..._ He winced as Rose poked him in the ribs. "I'm sorry, I was rambling, wasn't I? Bad habit of mine, sorry. Where were we? Oh yes! Donna, I'll try to refrain from smelling you, I promise. Case dismissed. Now, we should be ready to land soon!" He bounced back over to the console.

Donna stared after him for a moment, then looked at Rose. "He always like that?" she asked, nodding in Jon's direction.

"Pretty much, yeah. Sometimes he's almost normal, though."

Donna looked speculatively over at Jon. "This is going to be interesting!"


End file.
